Louis Ashbourne Serkis: who is No Return cast member, is he related to Andy and Ruby Serkis and how old is he?

The 17-year-old actor appears alongside Sheridan Smith in the new ITV drama
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Sheridan Smith ITV drama on TV, is it a true story - and who is in the cast?">No Return is the newest ITV drama starring Sheridan Smith, following the story of a family whose holiday in Turkey goes disastrously wrong after their son is arrested by the authorities.

At the centre of the story is Noah, the 16-year-old accused of sexual assault, played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis.

This is everything you need to know about the young actor.

Who is Louis Ashbourne Serkis?

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Serkis, who was born on 19 June 2004, is an English actor who is probably best known for his role as Alex in the 2019 film The Kid Who Would Be King, in which he starred alongside Patrick Stewart (Star Trek, X-Men) and Denise Gough (Guerrilla, The Fall).

Serkis was born in Haringey, North London, and attends the private school Highgate School when not filming. When he is filming, he has a tutor on set.

Louis Ashbourne Serkis stars alongside Sheridan Smith in the new ITV drama (Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)Louis Ashbourne Serkis stars alongside Sheridan Smith in the new ITV drama (Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Louis Ashbourne Serkis stars alongside Sheridan Smith in the new ITV drama (Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

He had been set to make his film debut at the age of seven, in the 2015 mystery drama Child 44 as Gary Oldman’s son - however, the part was ultimately cut from the final film.

His actual big screen debut was as the Young Hatter in the 2016 film Alice Through the Looking Glass. The following year, Serkis portrayed Peter in the English version of Mary and the Witch’s Flower and also starred in the historical drama The Current War.

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In 2020, Serkis appeared in the hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit as Georgi Girev, a 13-year-old Soviet chess prodigy.

Is he related to Andry Serkis?

Serkis is indeed related to actor and director Andy Serkis - he is his youngest son.

Andy Serkis is a huge name in Hollywood, and is perhaps best known for his motion capture performances, such as a Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit: An Expected Journey, King Kong in the 2005 film of the same name, Caesar in the rebooted Planet of the Apes series and as Baloo in Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, which he also directed.

Actor Andy Serkis (2nd R), his wife Lorraine Ashbourne (2nd L) and their children Sonny Serkis (L), Louis Serkis (C) and Ruby Serkis (R) (Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)Actor Andy Serkis (2nd R), his wife Lorraine Ashbourne (2nd L) and their children Sonny Serkis (L), Louis Serkis (C) and Ruby Serkis (R) (Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Actor Andy Serkis (2nd R), his wife Lorraine Ashbourne (2nd L) and their children Sonny Serkis (L), Louis Serkis (C) and Ruby Serkis (R) (Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

Other films that he has directed include Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Breathe.

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Throughout his career, he has won awards including a BAFTA, Empire Awards, MTV Movie and TV Awards, a Daytime Emmy Award and Film Critic Awards.

Serkis’ mother is actress Lorraine Ashbourne, who you may recognise from British TV shows and films such as The Bill, London’s Burning, Casualty, Peak Practice and The Street.

He has an older sister, Ruby, and an older brother, Sonny.

Who does he play in No Return?

Serkis stars as Noah Powell in the new ITV drama No Return led by Sheridan Smith.

The series follows the Powell family on holiday in Turkey when things take a turn for the worse after Noah is arrested by Turkish authorities.

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The official synopsis for No Return explains that the family go on holiday for “a chance to unwind and for Kathy and Martin to spend some much-needed together”.

Louis Ashbourne Serkis plays Noah Powell in No Return (Photo: ITV)Louis Ashbourne Serkis plays Noah Powell in No Return (Photo: ITV)
Louis Ashbourne Serkis plays Noah Powell in No Return (Photo: ITV)

However, the family holiday is thrown into chaos when their teenage son, Noah, is accused of sexually assaulting another guest in their hotel.

Noah maintains his innocence, and thus a fraught legal battle with intense media scrutiny begins.

The first episode of No Return aired on Monday 7 February on ITV at 9pm. If you didn’t catch it when it was on TV, then you can watch it on the ITV hub. 

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The next instalment of the four part series will air next Monday, 14 February, at 9pm on ITV.

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